Argosy, Vol. 112, No. 2 — page 122: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

288 THE ARGOSY. ““No-a doc! I not your company. I ‘“¥t’s not! He has been terribly beaten, Unatika—”’ and we are going to take him home and sam “| know that,” Jane responded quietly. help sim!” Jane declared. ‘ I—I know 3 “It doesn’t matter, though; you must have -him; he is a friend of mine.” = some help. Try, Pietro.” ‘A friend!” Peddar groaned. “If Mr. = The wretched man made a determined Geddes could hear you, miss, I’m sure I = effort, but his breath caught in a tearing don’t know what he.would say; I don’t in- sob, and with one hand clasped to his side deed! And as for taking him home—” he fell back once more. ‘You kneel down there, father, and slip “He kick-a me in de reeb after I fall-a your arm under his shoulders,” Jane or- down.” The voice came faintly, as if dered briefly. “I don’t give a—a whoop E ashamed of the confession. ‘‘ Please-a go, what Mr. Geddes or anybody else would = mees! He come-a back, maybe keel you. say, and you ought to know it by now! | He bad-a man!” Don’t mind about your clothes getting ““He’s a great, big, blustering coward!” Jane cried indignantly, for the pitiable con- ; dition of the little Italian wrung her heart. s “T can’t get you up alone by myself, but -you just lie here quietly for a minute and I'll bring my father. Don’t try to move; = your face is bleeding so!” : E She turned up the skirt of her dress, tore : a wide strip from her petticoat, and gently = pressed it over the gash in his cheek; then | turned and plunged off heedlessly through the mud. . Suppose Malison should return to firfish the work he had so brutally commenced? She could have no inkling of the quarrel between the two, but there was no thought now of self-interest in attempting to gain Pietro’s friendship; the wistful little man had appealed irresistibly to, hét sympathies in the afternoon, and now she felt that they were leagued against a common enemy. She must get help, and quickly. To Peddar, bending his dignified back over the uncongenial task at the stove there entered a veritable whirlwind, which seized him and bore him through the door and breathlessly along in the mud, replying to ; his vociferous protestations by utterly in- = comprehensible allusions to some one who was badly hurt and some one else who = ought to be shot, and ending with the im- -—sperative + and impossible injunction to ; cc hurry.” When at length they reached the recum- _ E bent figure, Peddar drew back in horror. = “Oh, miss; it’s murder as has been done! = Whatever are you mixing up in it for? ‘Come straight away and leave him to the—” muddy; help him up, I say! Come, Pietro, try to help us.” Pietro only moaned faintly, but between them they managed to get him upon his feet, although it was evident that he was on the point of absolute collapse. He set his teeth, but groan after groan forced its way from him during the brief journey, and even Peddar’s protestations were shocked to si- lence by the man’s evident suffering. They eased him down upon the cot in the kitchen, and Jane tore a sheet into strips for bandages, while Peddar heated water on the stove, and forced some brandy be- tween the man’s bruised lips. He murmured broken, incoherent expres- sions of gratitude for their ministrations, and then lapsed into silence; but as Jane was completing the bandage about his bat- tered head, he started up from the cot in sudden alarm. Jane’s eyes followed his frightened glance to the door as she rose slowly to her feet. Barney Hoyt stood on the threshold. ‘““ Good evening,” he said. ‘“ I—what has happened?” ‘“A friend of mine has been hurt,” Jane explained briefly. ‘“‘ Come, Pietro, lie down again. Mr. Hoyt won’t hurt you.” Uninvited, Hoyt entered and, walking to the cot, looked down upon the man for a moment in silence. When he spoke again there was.a curiously repressed note in his voice. ‘‘ He isn’t one of our outfit.” “No. He is employed by the Unatika people,” Jane added. ‘‘ Come out on the porch with me while Peddar attends to his side, and I will explain.” Comicbook BR. Defi fee ee eee Rea ee Se eet